Short mat players tour

Last updated

Short mat players tour
Sport Bowls
Founded2011
Owner(s)Craig Burgess
Country United Kingdom
Continent Europe
Most titlesJoeseph Beattie & Mark Beattie (5 titles)
Sponsor(s)Taylor Bowls, Drakes Pride

The Short Mat Players Tour (SMPT) is a semi-professional short mat bowling organisation, that runs singles events through Europe. The tour was the first set of events to create a world ranking for short mat bowls. Events are generally set up in round robin format, with players progressing to a knockout round dependent on their position within their own group. In addition to traditional 4-wood singles events, the SMPT have also run pairs, fours, double-rink and two-wood singles competitions.

Contents

Overview

The Short Mat Players Tour [1] is a company responsible for events set up by Craig Burgess and Simon Pridham in 2011. [2] The events have been commercially and corporately successful, [3] and have run events throughout Europe. [4]

The first SMPT event was held in Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club, Guilford. The event was won by Johnathan Payne of Belgium. The event was followed by events in Sweden, Norway, [5] and Ireland on an annual basis, as well as a United Kingdom open championship. [6] The world masters in 2014, held in Ireland, became the biggest two-day event in short mat bowls history, with an event featuring 252 participants. [7] In addition to these events, the Short Mat Players Tour has run pairs, fours, double rinks and even an event in Cyprus. [8]

In later years, the events would grow to utilise live online results, web entry, and video streaming of certain matches, including knockout rounds, and matches played on a "show mat." [9] Events are split after the group stage, with players being placed in a knockout round dependent on qualification. Those who rank first or second contend the main competition, or Cup; those third and fourth, contend the Plate competition; and those in the bottom two of their round robin group contend the shield, formerly known as the wooden spoon. [10] Those who rank first, second or third win gold, silver and bronze medals, similar to those won in the Olympics.

In the 2018 Norwegian Open; the SMPT partnered with Huldra Film to produce a television standard live stream of the later stages of the event. [11] The tour's most successful player is Ireland's Joeseph Beattie & Mark Beattie, who have five gold medals each.

Event results

Current events

YearUK OpenIrish OpenNorwegian OpenBritish OpenEnglish MastersWorld Masters
2019-20Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)Ulster Banner.svg Gary McNabb (NIR)Flag of Sweden.svg Benny Sjögren (SWE)Ulster Banner.svg Gary McNabb (NIR)Flag of England.svg Alex Kley (ENG)
2018-19Flag of England.svg Alex Kley (ENG)Flag of Ireland.svg Raymond Stubbs (IRE)Flag of Sweden.svg Benny Sjögren (SWE)Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Stephen Williams  (WAL)Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Stephen Williams  (WAL)Ulster Banner.svg Alan Paul (NIR)
2017-18Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Sam Harvey (WAL)Ulster Banner.svg Alan Paul (NIR)Flag of England.svg Stephen Proctor (ENG) [12] Flag of England.svg Nigel Nicholls (ENG) [13] Flag of England.svg Jack Pye (ENG) [14] Ulster Banner.svg Gary McNabb (NIR)
2016-17Flag of Scotland.svg Lawrence Moffat (SCO)Ulster Banner.svg Alan Paul (NIR)Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)not playedUlster Banner.svg Joseph Beattie (NIR)Ulster Banner.svg Joseph Beattie (NIR)
2015-16Ulster Banner.svg Gary McNabb (NIR)Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Payne (BEL) [15] not playedFlag of England.svg James Bucknall (ENG)Ulster Banner.svg Gary Burke (NIR)
2014-15Flag of England.svg Robert Martin (ENG) [16] Ulster Banner.svg PJ McCrossan (NIR)Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Stephen Williams  (WAL)Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)
2013-14Ulster Banner.svg Joseph Beattie (NIR) [17] [18] Ulster Banner.svg Andrew Leckey (NIR) [19] Ulster Banner.svg Cecil Dillon (NIR)Flag of Ireland.svg Gerry McCabe (IRE)
2012-13Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)not playedUlster Banner.svg Joseph Beattie (NIR)Ulster Banner.svg Alan Paul (NIR)
2011-12not playedFlag of Belgium (civil).svg Jonathan Payne (BEL)not played

Past ranking tournaments

YearSwedish Masters
2016-17Flag of Ireland.svg P.J. Gallagher (IRE)
2015-16Flag of Sweden.svg Marcus Almén (SWE)
2014-15Ulster Banner.svg Cecil Dillon (NIR)
2013-14Ulster Banner.svg Joseph Beattie (NIR)
2012-13Flag of Norway.svg Morten-Andre Coll (NOR)
YearEuropean Masters
2015-16Flag of Sweden.svg Joel Häger (SWE)
2014-15Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)
2013-14Flag of England.svg Chris Mann (ENG)
2012-13Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Jonathan Payne (BEL)

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit is produced from the six ranking events on the Short Mat Players Tour. The player ranked number 1 at the end of the season is awarded the Short Mat Players Tour Order of Merit sponsored by Henselite Bowls UK.

The short mat players tour events also feature Short Mat Bowls' only world rankings table, with a rolling two year ranking system in place. [20] This is the only world ranking system in place in short mat bowls.

YearOrder of Merit Champion
2018-19Flag of England.svg Ed Sawbridge (ENG)
2017-18Flag of England.svg Nigel Nicholls (ENG)
2016-17Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dimitri Payne (BEL)
2015-16Flag of Sweden.svg Joel Hager (SWE)
2014-15Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR)
2013-14Ulster Banner.svg Cecil Dillon (NIR)
2012-13Ulster Banner.svg Mark Beattie (NIR) / Flag of Sweden.svg Joel Hager (SWE)

World Cup

Starting in 2015, the Short Mat Players' Tour created a "World Cup", which would contain teams of four, representing each country. The highest ranked four players from each competing country would then represent the team for the world cup. [21] In the first season, in 2015, the event was made up of three groups of three, but was later played in more traditional groups of four. Unlike other world championships, the events feature a "rest of world" team, due to the lack of players from certain countries (such as Germany, India or Italy), but players still need to be placed in the top four of players that are eligible. [22] [21] All games in the world cup are the same as that of the tour, games of singles.

YearWinning nationRunner upWinning players
2019Flag of Ireland.svg IRE (Ireland)Flag of Sweden.svg SWE (Sweden)Mark Beattie, Joseph Beattie, P.J Gallagher, Nathan Haire
2018Flag of Ireland.svg IRE (Ireland)Flag of England.svg ENG (England)Glenn Harvey, Don McNamara, Nigel Charles, Gary McNabb
2017Flag of Ireland.svg IRE (Ireland)Flag of England.svg ENG (England)Mark Beattie, P.J. Gallagher, Joe Beattie, Pauline Beattie
2016Flag of Ireland.svg IRE (Ireland)Flag of Sweden.svg SWE (Sweden)P.J Gallagher, Pauline Beattie, Tony Bell, Joe Beattie
2015Flag of Sweden.svg SWE (Sweden)Flag of England.svg ENG (England)Joel Hager, Dick Almen, Jorgan Karlsson, Tommy Dahlgren

See also

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References

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